Label dispensing device



y 1962 B. F. VAN MEER 3,033,417

LABEL DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Sept. 3. 1959 United States Patent Ofifice 3,033,417 Patented May 8, 1962 3,033,417 LABEL DISPENSING DEVICE Bernardus Foppe van Meer, Motor-vessel Johanna Lucretia, Amstel (opposite to Nr. 336-340), Amsterdam, Netherlands Filed Sept. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 837,961 9 Claims. (Cl. 221-13) ness of the label in such a Way that the movements of the feeler depend on the thickness of the label. This leads to difficulties when using thin labels, because in that case the movements of the feeler are minute and will not always actuate the switch. Moreover, for this reason, the adjustment of the device requires highly skilled labour.

The invention aims at avoiding these disadvantages. This end is attained by imparting to the feeler a direction perpendicular to the support of the tape and by making the feeler movable in the direction in which the tape is moving, against the force of a spring, thus allowing the feeler to be moved along by the front edge of a label.

Practice has shown that a device according to the invention, even when using very thin labels, will work without failures. The device can easily be adjusted, does not require handling by skilled labour and requires little or no adjustment when working.

According to the invention the feeler can be hinged to an arm, turning round a fixed point. To this arm the end of a spring is attached, the other end of which is fastened to a fixed point, and the switch, actuating the motor, is situated in the path of this arm.

The invention and its further features will be further explained, illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic section of a device according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is the same device in another position of its working cycle; and

FIGURE 3 is a variation of part of the device shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

In FIGURE 1 number 1 shows a drum on which the tape 4, carrying the labels 8, is wound. The tape runs along a support 2 with a bending edge 3 to another drum 5 for rewinding the tape and driven by an electric motor 6 and a belt 7.

By gravity or by the downward force of a spring, not indicated in the drawing, an arm 10 with the feeler 9 attached is pressed onto the face of the tape to which the labels have been fixed. The arm 10, at 11, is hinged to an arm or link 12 moving round the fixed point 13. The arm 12 is pulled to the right by a spring 19 and, and when no horizontal force is exerted on the feeler 9, the arm 12 does not touch the actuating lever 14 of a switch 15. This switch 15 controls the feed of the motor 6 and is arranged in such a way that moving the lever 14 to the left opens the circuit from the mains 16 to the motor 6.

FIGURE 1 shows the position when lever 12 does not engage the actuating arm 14 of the switch 15. This position remains unaltered when the tape 4 moves towards the left along the support 2 until the moment when the feeler 9 falls behind the rear edge 8a of a label that has passed and is then taken towards the left by the front edge 8b of the next label. The feeler 9 will now be moved towards the left, as indicated in FIGURE 2, at the same time the lever arm 12 will be moving towards the left and this leads to an actuating of the switch 15 and cutting the current from the mains 16 to the motor 6. The label 8 which has just passed through when the motor 6 stops, is still fixed to the tape 4 by its rear edge 8a. When the label 8 now is removed in a natural way, i.e. by moving it upward, a finger 18 Willbe lifted and with it the feeler 9, attached to the finger. When this happens, the feeler with the arm 10 will be moved towards the right and will come down on the next label, because the arm 12 is pulled back by the spring 19. The switch 15 will be actuated again to circuit-closing position and motor 6 will restart.

A part 20 which is hinged to the arm 10, as indicated at 21, presses the labels down and so prevents them from bending or curling when the feeler 9 comes in touch with the front edge 8b of a label or when this feeler is being lifted through the finger 18.

The feeler 9 can be made of wire. Wire with a diameter of 0.5-4 mm. has given very good results. Of course also a crotchet made from a strip can be used.

In FIGURE 3 those parts, analogous to ones in FIG- URES 1 and 2, have been indicated by the same numerals. Various details in FIGURES 1 and 2 that speak for themselves, have been left out for claritys sake in FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 3 shows a lever 22, turning at 23, and influenced by a weight 24. The part 24 is situated above an idling roller 25 and the labels 8 are carried through between the elements 24 and 25. When the foremost label 8 is removed the weight 24 will fall and turn the other end of lever 22 upward, causing its stop 26 to touch the arm 10 at 27 and lift it.

This embodiment of the invention has the advantage that no special movement for taking away the label is required to restart the motor 6.

The invention has also the important advantage that the distance between two labels may be very minute. In fact a simple cut in a continuous la-bel web is sufficient. Herewith it is possible to handle labels which are simply made by incision of a continuous web of labels, when attached to the tape.

In the claims the terms horizontal, vertical, downwardly, etc. refer to the position of the respective parts as shown upon the figures of the drawing, for convenience and clarity of description only, and are not to be interpreted as limiting the use of the dispenser to any particular position. The terms advanced and retracted are with reference to the direction of travel of the tape 4 across plate 2.

I claim:

1. An automatic dispenser for labels detachably affixed to an elongated tape, comprising a horizontal plate having a peeling edge, power means operable to draw tape across said plate, feeler means mounted above said plate adjacent said peeling edge and mounted for limited movement in the direction of travel of tape across said plate in response to engagement thereof by the leading edge of an advancing label, said feeler means being movable from a retracted position to an advanced position, means operated by movement of said feeler means to retracted position to energize said power means, said last-named means acting to deenergize said power means by and in response to movement of said feeler means into said advanced position, and means urging said feeler means into said retracted position.

2. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, said feeler means being yieldably urged downwardly onto said plate, and means operated by and in response to manual separation of a peeled label to raise said feeler means above the level of undetached labels on said plate for movement to retracted position.

3. A dispenser as recited in claim 2, and means carried by said feeler means to yieldably urge the pass of tape extending over and across said plate into contact therewith.

4. A dispenser for labels removably secured to and longitudinally along an elongated tape, comprising a horizontal plate, power means effective to draw said tape over said plate, an arm mounted over said plate for movement in the direction of travel of said tape, from a first retracted position to a second advanced position, means urging said arm into said first position, a feeler fixed with and depending from said arm to engage the leading edge of a label advancing across said plate, to thereby move said arm to said second position, and means operated by and in response to movement of said arm to first position to render said power means eifective, said lastnamed means rendering said power means inefiective in response to movement of said arm into said second position.

5. A dispenser for labels r'emovably afiixed to and longitudinally along an elongated tape, comprising a horizontal plate having a peeling edge, an electric motor, means driven by said motor to draw tape across said plate and downwardly about said peeling edge to thereby detach labels in succession, an arm, means mounting said arm above said plate parallel therewith and comprising a vertical link pivoted at its lower end on a fixed axis normal to the direction of travel of tape over and across said plate and having its upper end pivotally connected with said arm adjacent the rearward end thereof, a feeler fixed with the forward end of said arm and depending therefrom to be engaged by the advancing edge of the next label on said tape to be dispensed and moved thereby from a retrograde position to an advanced position, to correspondingly pivot said link about its fixed axis, and a normally-closed switch controlling said motor and opened only by movement of said link to said advanced position.

6. A dispenser as in claim 5, and means operable to raise said feeler above the level of attached labels on said plate, by and in response to manual detachment of a peeled label;

7. A dispenser as in claim 6, said last-named means comprising a finger extending forwardly from and fixed with said feeler.

8. A dispenser as in claim 6, said last-named means comprising a roller adjacent and parallel with said peeling edge, and a lever pivoted above said plate and having one end pressing a peeled label onto said roller and its other end engaging said arm.

9. Dispensing device for labels attached separately to a main surface of a tape in such a way that a row of labels with a spacing in between them is arranged lengthwise along the tape, comprising a motor means for moving the tape lengthwise, a feeler with a first portion adapted to contact the tape or the free main surface of the labels attached to the tape, the feeler being provided with a further portion facing the front edge of the labels seen in the direction in which the tape is moved by said motor means, which further portion is immediately adjacent to the said first portion and adapted to engage the front edges of the labels, the feeler being mounted in such a way that it can be moved in the direction of the movement of the tape, and controlling means for the said motor means, which controlling means are connected with the feeler to stop the motor means when the feeler is moved in the direction of movement of the tape, and a support for supporting the tape opposite to said feeler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,355,488 McKenny Oct. 12, 1920 2,211,511 Melzer et al Aug. 13, 1940 2,276,297 Flood Mar. 17, 1942 2,782,961 Gassaway Feb. 26, 1957 2,802,598 Petterson Aug. 13, 1957 

